Upright piano action and pedal assembly



Oct' 16, 1951 H. T. SCOTT-HUNTINGTON 2,571,298

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTIONS AND PEDAL ASSEMBLY Filed July l5, 1946 l 3 Sheets-Sheet l @MMM/ H. T. SCOTT-HUNTINGTON 2,571,298

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTIONS AND PEDAL ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 16, 1951 Filed July 15, 1946 y Oct- 16, 1951 H. T. SCOTT-HUNTINGTON 2,571,298

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTIONS AND PEDAL ASSEMBLY Filed July l5, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 terial and ultimate costs.

Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION AND PEDAL ASSEMBLY Humbert Thurston Scott-Huntington, Belmar, N. J.

Application July 15, 1946, Serial No. 683,634

11 Claims. (Cl. 84-240) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in the action of the upright pianoforte and its pedal assembly. They include the elimination of the conventional hammer spring and its rail; the jack regulating rail; the jack flange; the jack stop rail; the damper flange; the back check and its wire; the bridle strap and its wire; the abstract (sticker) and its rail with guide arm; the Wippen; the wippen spoon; the key frame; also the attending screws, felts and other accessories thereto. It is also intended to eliminate or substantially reduce the friction caused by the conventional arrangement of the several members so as to attain superior repetition and ease of operation; to accelerate their assemblage; facilitate their replacement and, in general, to attain economy in time, labor, ma-

Another factor is the ability to install this action within an over-al1 height of a piano where this makes it a desideratum that said height be not more than 40". Other features of my invention will appear from the following specification and accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates one adaptation of my invention, being a side elevational view, combining the positions of rest and of operation.

Fig. 2 illustrates another adaptation of my invention, as a side elevational view, with the jack sliding against an inclined buttrail and the wip- .o

key without the intervention of the conventional jack ange or the wippen.

Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective View of a fragmentary section of the butt rail with my damper rail positioned thereon with a damper stem removed and a damper stem positioned.

Fig. 5 illustrates another perspective view of a fragmentary section of a jack and its tripping or escapement member.

Fig. 6 illustrates another perspective view 0f a fragmentary section of a piano key having the jack and jack spring attached thereon with means for attaining escapement of said jack from a butt rail while amxed to said jack.

Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the hammer, hammer shank, hammer butt and the brake or checker spring assembly positioned on said butt.

Fig. 8 illustrates a side elevational view of the complete loud pedal assembly according to my invention.

Fig. 9 illustrates a side sectional elevation of the dampers shifting rod being operated by a fulcrumed wedgeable member.

Fig. 10 illustrates a fragmentary section, in a top plan, of my method to fasten the pedal within a forked protuberance integral of a metallic piano frame.

Fig. 11 illustrates a fragmentary section, in a side elevation, of my method for positioning the holding members of the pedal.

Fig. 12 illustrates a top plan view of the holding member for the wedge shaped operating member as fastened to the key bed.

Fig. 13 illustrates a fragmentary section of a top plan view with the dampers shifting rod at rest.

Fig. 14 illustrates the same, in operation.

Like letters and numerals refer to like gures and members.

Description I is a piano key having its posterior extremity suitably arched or otherwise shaped at Ia to deflect an adjoining member. 2 is eyeletted arm of the lost motion regulator button 2a which constantly rests upon the key I. 3 is the wippen which hinges on the pin 4 of the flange 6 which, in turn, is held by the screw 5 to the butt rail 3|. 'I is the jack which hinges on the pin I9 and moves within the concaved depression 2D of the wippen 3. 8 is the jack heel under which the jack spring 9 exerts its pressure. I0 is the concaved recess (Fig. 5) aside which the escaper arm 4I] passes then imbeds its threaded terminal into the butt rail support 3| and its other terminal retains the moveable button 40a which can be raised or lowered thereon to a given height. The bifurcated head of the jack 'I is divided into two projections; the posterior II which, when at rest, constantly rests against the felted seat 'I0 of the hammer butt 1I; the anterior or frontal projection is the felted surface I3 divided from the other by the space I 2 and comes into contact with the back check I4, the threaded arm I4a of which traverses the back check spring I5. This spring is adjustably positioned on the said butt 'II because of the slots I5a and positionally held thereon by the screws I6 (Fig. 7). The free end of this checker spring is made so as to have its terminal bend against itself thereby presenting an increased surface area for the threads of the arm to traverse. The hammer butt 'II hinges on the pin I8@ of the flange I 8 which, in turn, is positioned to the butt rail 3| by the screw |811. The hammer shank I 'I is integral with the butt 'II its base having a greater girth than its insertable top end 18 (Fig. 1). The hammer shank rests on the hammer rail 2i. 22 is the screw which positions the double spring 24-25. The posterior section of it 24, having greater strength, exerts its pressure against the damper stem 21 while the anterior or front section 25, being of lesser strength, exerts its pressure against the shank I1 or butt 1I. My object is to eliminate the conventional hammer spring rail from which are suspended the hammer springs since it is very diicult, if not impossible, to replace said springs, without dismantling the entire spring assembly. 26 is the conventional damper head resting against the piano string 14. Its threaded stem screws within the said stem head 28a. which I make in a manner so as to have its terminal end bend against itself thereby presenting a greater area of threads into which the other member is attached.

The main damper stem 28 has a section thereof, intermediate its length, partially punched out s ,Vasto form the tongue 29, Fig. 4, the upper shoulder of which is suitably shaped at 29a so as.v to engage, and remain hinged upon, the

damper raild. This arrangement permitsfthe curved extremity 33 of said tongue to rest and press against the butt rail 3l and, as it possesses ilexibility, acts as a co-damper spring in assisting the damper to resume its` position of rest against the eliminates the conventional wippen spoon which, at present, causes the damper to become deiiected. :The escapement of the jack 'i from the butt 1| is attained by the jack tripper or escaper i0 (Fig. positioned `along the side of saidjack within a side depression (concaved) of said jack i!) and its regulator button Sila. This button, being threaded .on the armed@ is utilized t0 accurately graduate the degree and rapidity of said escapement by increasing or decreasing the distance between it and the jack heel t which, ,when in operation, becomes tripped by said button.

Now, in Fig. 2, I attain the object of escape- Vment of these members by screwably inserting the tripper or escaper arm 32a thru the jack 1, attaching the button 32 on one terminal. In this adaptation, I make the tace of the butt rail 3l (Fig. 4), at the point E8 inclined and smooth against which the escaper button 32 slides upc wardly when the jack is activated because of the depression of the key l. In this arrangement, as

Vin that of Fig. l, I attain the complete elimina- Vtionof .the conventional jack regulating rail, the

jack flange, and the jack stop rail. To increase the functional leverage of the wippen 3, I now place the wippens `flange 6 underneath the butt rail 3|.

In Fig. 3 is the third adaptation of my invention in that I place the jack 1 within a recess i3 of the key l at `which point I increase its area by having the key assume the bulge thereby attaining greater rigidity, and hinge the jack on the pin 35. In this adaptation, the escaper arrangement is similar to that used in Fig. 2. In this adaptation I also eliminate the use of the conventional key frame and place the guide pins, balance pins, key felt strip and the keys directly upon said bed. In this manner, the bed may be made to serve the purpose of a bed and of a frame, the whole being a mountable separate unit; my object is to attaina yet lower over-all height of the piano without sacricing the height of essential members of an action, such as the lengths of hammers.

. Here I regulate the lost motion between key and action by the motion regulator screw 31 traversing, vertically, the key i near the base of the fly zand, at its lower extremity, holding the regulative button 31a upon the key bed felt 31h. I also attach the jack spring 33 to the key I on the pin 33a. This jack spring, being a straight member,

` l Yhas abend, Vintermediate its length (Fig. 6), and

avoids` any friction with the escaper arm 32a; it

then resumes its straight course, upwardly, until` its curved stem rests upon the feltedwarea Yt2, of

'the recess lil. To preventthis jack from'flopping backwardswhen this key'assembly `is-jremoved,

I provide a jack-stop GG with a "felted 'surface` d5 within the keys recess 43. Y

Operation l Fig. 1.-Depressing thekey iraises thewippen 3 through the regulator .2a whichimpelslthe jack 1 upwardly, its projection Il then sliding-along the butts elted seat 19 causing the .hammerassembly to` move towards Athe Apiano sltringtii.-l AOn the rebound therefrom, the. .checker buttoni Vcontacts and firmly engages thejacks projection I3, after the key end la has .deflected the damper `.assemblyat 2819. Because of th'efmetalliciiexibility. of the checker spring .I 5, anyr chattering or otheroscillatory motion inherent from the rebound.` of said hammer. assemblyis absorbed. This, arrangement eliminates the conventional back check and its wire, the bridle strap andits .wire,..etc. .This engaged- .position ofallthede- `scribed members continues until the release ofthe key, when they then become disengaged and resume their respective positions of rest, with ;the

shank nally restinguponrfthehammerrail 21,

and the damper against the -string-Mbecauseof the exerted pressures of springs 4 25.

Y InFig. 2, thesernovements areattainedsubstantially inthe same manner exceptingthatthe escapement of the jack 1 is attained by the es- .caper button 32, becoming-deected bythe luted face `$8 ofthe butt-rail 3|.

sure and. more rapid movement for Vthe jack head to resume its position of rest. -In Fig. 3, the operationofall members is substantially the same excepting fthat they are-now Vaccomplished Without the intervention of a wippen 3 and-the regulation of any lost motion occurring between the key l and the butt 1l isattained by `raising "or lowering thethreaded member 31 which constantly restsupon the keybed.62. In all these adaptations of my invention, .the v damper assembly remains constant in its structure; it upper part 28 (Fig.4)has thepartiallypunchediout section 29 forming the tongue, the upper Yportion or shoulder'29a being suitably curved and elted as to engage the damper rail 38@ when this whole damper assembly is pressed downwards; then the tongues lower portion, suitably bent at 39 then rests upon, and presses against, the butt rail 3| from which it transmits some pressure thereby acting as a partial dam-per spring. In Fig. V'7, the free end 18 of the hammer shank is conventionally affixed to the hammer i9. The damper assembly, as illustrated in Fig. 4, clearly shows a damper is about to be downwardly moved and also when positioned and ready to become operated. y

Fig. '7 also illustrates the checker spring l5 with its slots |5a, said slots permitting the adjustment of said spring thereby regulating the degree of adhesion and the force of checking contact made between the checker button I4 and the jacks head I3. In Fig. 8 we see the butt rail 3| with a felted portion 3|a and the dampers shift rod 30 attached thereon. Between these two members passes the head of the member 48a (Fig. 9). The stem 48 of this wedgelike member has a slot 48h intermediate its length through which passes the pin 64. The lower extremity of this stem 48 hinges upon the pin 49 which is axed to the rocker 50. This rocker fulcrums on the pin 52 of the flange 5| which, in turn, is aiixed to the under side of the key bed 62. The free end of this rocker has the pin 53 to which is attached the clevis 54 of cable 55 and this, in turn, is held by the turn buckle 56, the lower end of which holds the cable section 55a which finally is anchored on the pin 51h of the pedal 51a. The end of this pedal 51a (Fig. l0) is inserted between the lugs 59 and 59a of the piano frame 6 This pedal is held by the screws 58-58a traversing the projections 59-59a, said screws, in turn, being held by the set screws 60 (Fig. 1l). In Fig. |2 there is illustrated the shifting wedge stem 4B enveloping the pin 64 which is held by the cotter pin 64a and the yoke 63 so as to permit the bracket 66 to pass thru it While the arm 53a, together with the screws 65, hold said yoke. Finally, Figs. 13 and 14 show the damper shifting rod 3D which has a suitably arched bend intermediate its length, permitting the displacer wedge 48a to insert itself between said rod and the butt rails seat 3|a, all being in a position of rest and the wedge having inserted itself, deflected the rod 30 and becoming effective against the damper stems 28.

Having described, illustrated and specified my invention,v what I claim as new, useful and novel 1s:

1. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a hammer movably mounted thereon, a key, parts between the key and the hammer to actuate the latter, a damper having a stem attached thereto, a second stem screwed to the rst-named stem, the last-named stem extending into proximity with the key, the key and said stem having portions adapted to engage when the key operates the hammer, the secondnamed stem having a tongue, and the rail having means hingedly engaged by said tongue, and

spring members attached to the rail between the hammer and damper.

2. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a wippen pivotally attached to the lower part of the support, a jack pivotally connected to the wippen, a hammer pivotally mounted on the support above the jack, a curved spring carried by the hammer, and a check member mounted in the spring to arrest the disengaging movement of the jack, spring means engaging the wippen and a heel on the jack,

6. said support also having a fly tripper extending through the jack into proximity to said heel.

3. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a wippen pivotally attached to the lower part of the support, a jack pivotally connected to the wippen, a hammer pivotally mounted on the support above the jack, a curved spring carried by the hammer, and a check member mounted in the spring to arrest the disengaging movement of the jack, said spring means extending straight between said jack and wippen and said jack carrying a tripper extending towards said support.

4. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a hammer' pivotally mounted thereon, a key, a jack pivotally mounted at one end on said key and extending towards the hammer, a straight spring on the key engaging the jack and a tripper arm carried by the jack and extending towards the support, means for cushioning the key, 4a spring carried by the hammer, and a member carried by the spring to arrest the movement of the jack when disengaging the key.

5. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a wippen pivotally attached to the lower part of the support, a jack pivotally connected to the wippen, a hammer pivotally mounted on the support above the jack, spring means between the wippen and the jack, a curved spring carried by the hammer, and a check member mounted in the spring to arrest the disengaging movement of the jack, and a tripper for the jack, the wippen also having an adjustable regulator button resting upon said key.

6. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a wippen pivotally attached to the lower part of the support, a. jack pivotally connected to the wippen, a hammer pivotally mounted on the support above the jack, spring means between the wippen and the jack, a curved spring carried by the hammer, and a check member mounted in the spring to arrest the disengaging movement of the jack, and a tripper for the jack, the end of the jack adjacent the hammer being bifurcated.

'7. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a hammer mounted thereon, a jack and key for actuating the hammer, the latter comprising a shank with a butt having a curved cushioned surface in proximity with the jack, the hammer also having a curved check spring adjustably secured thereto, and an adjustable member carried by the spring adjacent the end of the jack which engages the hammer butt.

8. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a hammer movably mounted thereon, a jack to actuate the hammer, and a key having a slot in which the lower end of the jack is pivotally mounted, the edges of the key along said slot overlapping adjacent the end of the jack.

9. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a butt rail support, a hammer mounted on the support, said support having a plate on its top, anaperture in said plate, a damper having a stem with a tongue which hingedly engages said aperture, the lower end of the tongue pressing against said support, a key to actuate the hammer and said damper.

10. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a key bed, a yoke-shaped frame thereon, a pin carried by said frame, a stem member slidably mounted on said pin, the upper end of said stem being Wedge shaped, a shifter rod engaged `by said end, and a pedal having connections to actuate the stem member.

11. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a key bed, a yoke-shaped frame thereon, a pin carried by said frame, a stem member slidably mounted on said pin, the upper end of said stem being Wedge shaped, a shifter rod engaged by said end, and a pedal having connections to actuate the stem member, said connections comprising a rocker on the key bed connected to the stem member, and parts joining said rocker to the pedal.

- HUMBERT THURSTON SCOTT-HUNTINGTON.

5 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNl'IYED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 755,102 Rosenbury Mar. 22, 1904 845,720 Simpkins Feb. 26, 1907 904,117 Cross Nov. 17, 1908 904,904 Wallace Nov. 24, 1908 967,015 Gilmore Aug. 9, 19,10

1,353,644 George Sept. 21,` 1920 1,510,663 Finnimore Oct. 7, 1924 2,061,154 Heitzmann Nov. 17, 1936 

